February 28, 2014
Doctors without Borders
is being forced to stop caring for sick people in a Myanmar state torn by
sectarian violence, in a move linked to the humanitarian group's work with the
long-persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority.
Myanmar's presidential spokesman Ye Htut said that the group's
contract in Rakhine state would not be extended because they hired
"Bengalis," the term the government uses for Rohingya, and lacked
transparency in its work. He criticized the group over its handling of patients
following an attack in the remote northern part of the state last month.
The government has vehemently denied allegations that a Buddhist
mob rampaged through a village, killing women and children. Doctors Without
Borders said it treated 22 injured and traumatized Rohingya.
The United Nations says more than 40 Rohingya were killed, but
the government says only one Buddhist policeman died.
Ye Htut said that the group's "presence has more negative
impact than benefit" and that its contract was not renewed because the
group's work "could heighten tension and jeopardize peace and tranquility
in the region."
Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist nation of 60 million, only
recently emerged from a half-century of military rule. Since then, ethnic
tensions have swept Rakhine state, raising concerns from the US and others that
the bloodshed could undermine democratic reforms. Up to 280 people have been
killed and tens of thousands more have fled their homes, most of them
Rohingya.
Since the violence erupted in June 2012, Doctors Without Borders
has worked in 15 camps for the displaced people in Rakhine state. For many of
the sickest patients, the organization offers the best and sometimes only care,
because traveling outside the camps for treatment in local Buddhist-run
hospitals can be dangerous and expensive. The aid group has worked to help
smooth the referral process for emergency transport from some camps.
Due to increasing threats and intimidation from a group of
Rakhine Buddhists who have been holding near daily protests against Doctors
Without Borders, the organization has said its activities have been severely
hampered and that it has not received enough government support.
The group has been present for nearly 20 years in Rakhine state,
assisting with everything from child and maternal health to HIV, tuberculosis
and malaria among all ethnic groups, including Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya
Muslims. Nationwide, it has long filled a gap in Myanmar's neglected and
woefully underfunded health sector: it is the main provider of HIV drugs in the
country, supplying more than 30,000 patients with life-saving medication that
would otherwise be unavailable through the government. MSF also treats more
than 3,000 tuberculosis patients, many of whom are also infected with HIV.
Many of the country's 1.3 million Rohingya — identified by the
United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world — have
been living in the country for generations but the government insists they are
here illegally. Almost all have been denied citizenship, rendering them
stateless. Systematic and discriminatory policies limit their freedom of
movement, access to health care, right to worship and have children.